Former Liverpool winger Raheem Sterling has been widely praised today for calling out certain sections of the media for their part in inciting racism.
Yesterday, he was abused by a Chelsea fan as he went to collect the ball which had gone behind for a corner at Stamford Bridge, with police investigating the incident as a potential racist attack.
Raheem Sterling’s powerful, thoughtful Instagram post (sterling7) linking incident at the Bridge with certain media reporting of young black players … pic.twitter.com/oDf9aE9q2S
— Henry Winter (@henrywinter) December 9, 2018
No Red enjoyed the way Sterling forced his way out of Liverpool to join Manchester City – but you have to respect him for coming out and speaking about the issue.
Racism should no longer be a problem in 2018 – but unfortunately, it is.
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We all know the sections of the media that contribute to the problem, and these Reds fans were just a few of many who hit the nail on the head.
https://twitter.com/danfieldsend/status/1071741353271484416
Love Raheem Sterling. Massive respect to him for telling it exactly how it is.
— Cameron Hogwood (@ch_skysports) December 9, 2018
I'm a staunch Liverpool fan but when it comes to racism I fully support Raheem Sterling. Racism should have no place in today's game. The media have a part to play here and need to look at their portrayal of black players. Well done Raheem.
— ♿Rachel Ellis♿ (@RleEllis) December 9, 2018
Great stuff from Raheem Sterling.
— ɦօɢɢʏ (@chillhoggy) December 9, 2018
https://twitter.com/agentbobby_/status/1071739802003931136
Respect to Raheem Sterling for what he’s said
— Anthony (@AS__1976) December 9, 2018
Former Reds players also joined in the praise for the England international: Martin Skrtel replied to Sterling’s Instagram post, saying “well said, bro”, while others such as Steven Gerrard and Philippe Coutinho ‘liked’ it.
Hopefully, Sterling’s statement can help reform the media perception of him and he can be judged purely as a footballer, as should already be the case.